Ruling on Hedgecock Defense Fund Appealed by City

San Diego City Attorney John Witt has appealed a Superior Court ruling that allowed Mayor Roger Hedgecock to accept, for his defense fund, individual contributions larger than $250, the limit established by the municipal Election Code.

The announcement came late Friday as a sequestered jury met in a downtown hotel to determine Hedgecock’s fate on 14 felony charges.

The jury deliberated Saturday until about 9:30 p.m. but failed to reach a verdict. It will begin its fourth day of deliberations at about 8 this morning.

Before the mayor’s second trial on conspiracy charges began, Superior Court Judge Mack Lovett ruled in July that Hedgecock was not obligated to follow the $250 limit in raising money to pay for his legal defense.

Witt, reached in San Francisco where he is attending a League of California Cities conference, said Saturday he believes that Hedgecock should not be permitted to receive large contributions since the mayor intends to remain in office. He said the $250 limit was established to restrict the potential influence of large contributors on elected city officials.

“In (Hedgecock’s) case, he is still a candidate for 1984 and as such, those requirements apply,” Witt said. “The only way you’d have to rationalize (not setting a limit) is if he wasn’t running for anything and he was not trying to keep his job. In this case, he is . . . trying to raise funds in attempting to retain his position.”